Hey Rick ... thanks for the kind words. To answer your question, there are several variables ... personal preferences, if you will. I prefer the stability and look of 6.1 system builds. I have built and used 6.5 ... even 6.5x roms, but I always seem to come back to 6.1. At the moment, I'm using one that I dubbed Sprint Classic, which is a basic 6.1 with old fashioned Sprint Manila, and an updated "Sense" look. It's pretty stable, quick, and the battery life is about as good as can be expected with these devices (which will never be all that good). I might be more of a help to you, if you would tell me a little about what you like ... then I could steer you in the right direction.
just download new rom from here any you like connect your phone through usb to computer it does not matter if activesync says connected or disconnected ignore it run the rom to install form computer and it should start the installation of new rom on your phone and then do a clean install